Farley: Cassel becoming too costly

Less than three months ago, it appeared as though Matt Cassel might be history in New England. Now, the fourth-year quarterback is making history in New England. Cassel's summertime blues have given way to an unlikely rise in the fall. Four hundred yards passing in back-to-back games?

Less than three months ago, it appeared as though Matt Cassel might be history in New England.

Now, the fourth-year quarterback is making history in New England.

Cassel's summertime blues have given way to an unlikely rise in the fall.

Four hundred yards passing in back-to-back games?

No Patriots quarterback, from Butch (Songin) to Babe (Parilli) to (Drew) Bledsoe to (Tom) Brady, had ever done that prior to Cassel's pre-Thanksgiving carvings of the New York Jets' and the Miami Dolphins' defenses.

If Cassel lights up the stat sheet against Pittsburgh and its top-ranked defense for another 400 this Sunday, the Patriots should invoke the "Bledsoe Rule" and keep the younger hand and trade the man he replaced.

Just kidding, folks.

So was Cris Collinsworth when he quipped on NBC's "Football Night in America" pregame show on Sunday night: "Somebody needs to get that kid a supermodel because he looks like Tom Brady right now."

With his play over the past couple of weeks, Cassel has trumped the franchise quarterback - and that's a fact. In throwing for 400 yards in consecutive weeks, Cassel has done what only four other quarterbacks in the NFL (Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, Phil Simms and Billy Volek) had done before him.

Ultimately, another franchise awaits him.

"The ceiling is so high on this kid," ESPN's Trent Dilfer said on yesterday's edition of NFL Live, "next year is really going to be interesting to see where he lands."

He wasn't kidding.

An unrestricted free agent in waiting, after sitting his first three seasons in the league, common sense dictates that Cassel will capitalize on the opportunity that awaits him to go somewhere - how can the Pats afford to franchise him? - and start in 2009 in much the same manner he's exploited opponents as Brady's replacement as the 2008 season has progressed.

Who can blame Cassel for taking the money and moving on to another team? He's earned that right.

And where the product of Northridge, Calif., and USC is concerned, some folks are already California dreaming.

Click on the Web site ninersnation.com yesterday and you came across word that CBS's Charley Casserley reported that franchising Cassel would cost the Patriots more than $14 million, "which they can't afford even if Brady's injury lingers."

So expect Cassel to leave with a speed that will make the eight scoring drives he directed in Sunday's 48-28 win at Dolphin Stadium look like three yards and a cloud of dust.

And to think, back during the preseason, with Cassel at the controls the Patriots' offense resembled three yards and a cloud of rust.

At that time, a Cassel pass was nearly as likely to miss its intended target as it was to hit it.

Page 2 of 2 - Who could have envisioned this Cassel back in the summer when he was going 19-for-34 for 165 yards with no touchdowns and one interception?

The former seventh-round draft pick's passer rating of 56.6 was dwarfed by Matt Gutierrez's 85.6, albeit against lesser competition since he was coming on in relief - with Brady sitting out the summer, Cassel was the starter - and often facing players who were one step away from appearing on the transactions page.

Conceding a roster spot to third-round pick Kevin O'Connell, who is regarded as the Patriots' potential QB of the future should the franchise player ever begin to show his age, there was actually a quarterback controversy over New England's backup plan: Cassel or Gutierrez.

"It's funny to me," Cassel said following Sunday's game. "A lot of people casted me out and said, 'This guy isn't even going to make the team."'

Ultimately, Cassel won the duel seemingly by default as much as anything. They had to keep somebody and for whatever the reason - probably because they didn't want to put Gutierrez, a second-year free agent with one year of college experience (which is a year more than his competition had) in a position where he was one snap away from directing the offense - Cassel was it. At least he had experienced four training camps in the Patriots' system.

That did nothing to soothe New Englanders, who couldn't help but experience feelings of doom when Brady tore up his knee in the opener with Kansas City.

Those were the days, you'll remember, that there were calls to sign the likes of Daunte Culpepper, Chris Simms and Tim Rattay.

Through it all, Bill Belichick remained undaunted. The Patriots head coach didn't opt to go that way.

Still, even after he came on in relief of Brady and did enough to guide the Patriots to a 17-10 season-opening victory, there was a widespread feeling from coast to coast that this team would not make the playoffs because of Cassel.

Ten games later, though, the Patriots retain a legitimate shot at making them because of him.

(Glen Farley writes for the Brockton Enterprise and Gatehouse News Service and can be reached at gfarley@enterprisenews.com.)